Saturday Night Live: George Carlin

Last week marked the 36th anniversary of Saturday Night Live. I have to say, thanks to TV on DVD, that I’ve probably seen more episodes of the earliest seasons than I have of seasons that have aired more recently. I mean look at the talent that started the ‘Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time-Players’ had: John Belushi, Dan Ackroyd, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner, with Bill Murray joining them later. Many of those guys and gals went on to long careers as entertainers and along with Lorne Michaels helped revolutionize American comedy. Check out this video of George Carlin performing the very first opening monologue in the show’s history.